Give Me the Night (George Benson song)

"Give Me the Night"
Single by George Benson
from the album Give Me the Night
B-side "Dinorah, Dinorah"
Released July 3, 1980
Format 7"
Genre Disco[1]
Length
  • 3:41
  • 3:50 (Commercial 7")
  • 4:58 (Album)
Label Warner Bros.
Writer(s) Rod Temperton
Producer(s) Quincy Jones
George Benson singles chronology
  • "Give Me the Night"
  • (1980)

"Give Me the Night" is a song by American jazz musician George Benson, from his studio album of the same name (1980). It was written and composed by Heatwave's keyboard player Rod Temperton and produced by Quincy Jones. Patti Austin provides the backing and scat vocals that are heard throughout.[1] Lee Ritenour also appears on the track. The song was a commercial success, and was Benson's first single to hit number one on the US Billboard Soul Singles chart. It also peaked at number four on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, making it his most successful pop entry.[2] It also peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot Disco Singles chart[3] and at number seven in the UK Singles Chart[4] "Give Me the Night" was one of the last disco singles to become a major success with the steady decline of the genre in the early 1980s.

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Chart (1980) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[5] 10
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[6] 11
Belgium (VRT Top 30 Flanders)[7] 9
Canada (CHUM)[8] 7
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[9] 22
France (IFOP)[10] 3
Ireland (IRMA)[11] 15
Italy (FIMI)[12] 8
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[13] 8
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[14] 9
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[15] 4
Norway (VG-lista)[16] 8
South Africa (Springbok Radio)[17] 5
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[18] 7
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[4] 7
US Billboard Hot 100[3] 4
US Billboard Hot Disco Singles[3] 2
US Billboard Hot Soul Singles[3] 1
US Cash Box[19] 6
US Record World[20] 6

Year-end charts

Chart (1980) Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[21] 91
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[22] 86
Italy (FIMI)[12] 48
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[23] 83
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[24] 72
US Billboard Hot 100[25] 91
US Cash Box[26] 41

Track listing

Warner Bros. WBS 49505 (US, 7")[27]
  1. "Give Me the Night"
  2. "Dinorah, Dinorah"
Qwest/Warner Bros. K 17673 (UK, 7")[28]
  1. "Give Me the Night"
  2. "Breezin'"
Warner Bros. LV 40 (US, 12")[29]
  1. "Give Me the Night" (long version)
  2. "The World Is a Ghetto"
  3. "Breezin'"

Randy Crawford cover

American singer Randy Crawford also covered the song in 1995, later releasing it as a single.

Track listing

Bluemoon Recordings 0-95660 (US)[30]
  1. "Give Me the Night" (Mousse T.'s Old Skool Mix)
  2. "Give Me the Night" (Chocolate City Mix)
  3. "Give Me the Night" (Chill Night Mix)
  4. "Give Me the Night" (Mousse T.'s Classic Club Mix)
  5. "Give Me the Night" (Peter's Vocal Remix)
  6. "Give Me the Night" (Mousse T.'s Late Night Dub)
WEA International WEA 142 T (UK)[31]
  1. "Give Me the Night" (Mousse T.'s Classic Club Mix)
  2. "Give Me the Night" (Mousse T.'s Classic Club Instrumental)
  3. "Give Me the Night" (Mousse T.'s Old Skool Mix)
  4. "Give Me the Night" (Radio Mix)

Use in other media

The song is used as a sample in Je danse le Mia by French hip hop band IAM.

The song was featured in a Ferrero Rocher commercial in the early 2000s and created an online cult following, as this version was never available for purchase and encompassed more of an ambient vibe.

The song was also used in the French film Brice de Nice.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Elias, Jason. "Give Me the Night – Song Review". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved July 10, 2013. Released in mid-1980, this polished song caught the tail end of the disco era.
  2. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 53.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Give me the Night – Awards on Allmusic". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Archive Chart: 1980-08-16" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  5. ↑ "Billboard Hits Of The World". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media) 92 (44): 84. November 1, 1980. ISSN 0006-2510.
  6. ↑ "Ultratop.be – George Benson – Give Me The Night" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Radio 2 Top 30 : 25 oktober 1980" (in Dutch). Top 30. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  8. ↑ CHART NUMBER 1238 – Saturday, October 04, 1980 at the Wayback Machine (archived February 12, 2006). CHUM. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 4701a." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  10. ↑ "InfoDisc : Tous les Titres par Artiste" (in French). InfoDisc. Select "George Benson" from the artist drop-down menu. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  11. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Give Me the Night". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "I singoli più venduti del 1980" (in Italian). Hit Parade Italia. Creative Commons. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
  13. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – George Benson - Give Me The Night search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  14. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – George Benson – Give Me The Night" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  15. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – George Benson – Give Me The Night". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  16. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – George Benson – Give Me The Night". VG-lista. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  17. ↑ "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (B)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  18. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – George Benson – Give Me The Night". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  19. ↑ CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending SEPTEMBER 27, 1980 at the Wayback Machine (archived September 13, 2012). Cash Box magazine. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  20. ↑ Artist-B at the Wayback Machine (archived August 20, 2009). Record World. Geocities.com. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  21. ↑ "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1980s". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  22. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 1980" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  23. ↑ "Single Top 100 1980" (PDF) (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  24. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1980" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  25. ↑ "Top 100 Hits for 1980". The Longbored Surfer. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  26. ↑ The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1980 at the Wayback Machine (archived September 15, 2012). Cash Box magazine. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  27. ↑ "George Benson – Give Me The Night (Vinyl)". Discogs. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  28. ↑ "George Benson – Give Me The Night / Breezin' (Vinyl)". Discogs. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  29. ↑ "George Benson – Give Me The Night (Vinyl)". Discogs. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  30. ↑ "Randy Crawford – Give Me The Night (Vinyl)". Discogs. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  31. ↑ "Randy Crawford – Give Me The Night (Vinyl)". Discogs. Retrieved June 19, 2014.

External links

Preceded by
"Upside Down" by Diana Ross		 US Billboard Hot Soul Singles number-one single
September 13, 1980 – September 27, 1980 (3 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Funkin' for Jamaica (N.Y.)" by Tom Browne